Digital signs are highly versatile. You can create digital signage designs that appeal to customers, employees, and visitors while rolling out the same design across multiple screens in the blink of an eye.
With so many options to choose from, how can you be certain you are following the best practices for digital signage?
To streamline your digital marketing journey, we’ve compiled eight tips for digital signage content design.
What’s digital signage?
Digital signage is a modern, dynamic method of communication that uses electronic screens and custom, user-created content to deliver key messages. Companies are using digital signage software to design and intelligently display reports and create eye-catching content to capture their audience’s attention.
You can use digital signage designs to communicate with potential customers or create informed and connected workplaces. You probably see digital signs every single day. Billboards on motorways, advertisements in your local supermarket, and digital menu screens at fast food restaurants are all part of the digital marketing movement.
Digital signage requires digital signage software, hardware and some exciting content! Before you jump into creating marketing content, we’ve got a few digital signage design best practices that will set you on the right path.
Design Ratios
When you create content for your digital sign, it’s important to think about ratios. The aspect ratio of an image determines how it appears on your screen. Getting this right is key, using the wrong aspect ratio can lead to content being cut off and therefore looking poor quality.
Thankfully, ratios are one of the less complex parts of creating digital content. Most TV screens have the same ratio. Horizontal screens have a 16:9 ratio, and portrait screens have a 9:16 ratio.
Ultimately, it all depends on what digital signage hardware you use.
Resolutions
Another aspect of digital signage design is the resolution. The resolution tells us how many pixels are on the screen. The more pixels on the screen, the clearer the image or design.
A screen is considered full high definition (HD) when the resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. In general, you should always aim for full HD for digital sign designs. Otherwise, the quality of the image might detract from your message.
Here are the other pixel dimensions for different types of screens.
- Quarter HD: 960 x 540 pixels
- Standard HD or HD ready: 1290 x 720 pixels
- Ultra HD: 3840 x 2160 pixels
Layouts
Once you understand the more technical aspects of digital signage best practices, you can start thinking about the eye-catching elements. Layout might seem second nature, but when you start creating your design you’ll realise just how much thought goes into it.
Here are our top layout tips.
- Leave some space: Leave a border around your content in case your digital screen crops some of the content.
- Include your logo: Establish your brand by including your logo.
- Use the rule of thirds composition: Divide your page into nine equal parts using two vertical and two horizontal lines. Place your title, description, or image where the lines intersect to create an eye-catching composition.
Fonts
This might not be as technical as some of the other digital signage best practices on our list, but it’s just as important. Choose the wrong font, and risk your messaging being missed. Choose the right one, and you could capture the attention of new customers.
Choosing the right font for your digital signage is essential. It’s best to work within your personal branding guidelines to create your digital screen content. Choosing the right font can be the difference between engaging and non-engaging.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Most digital signs are seen from 7-10 feet away.
- Fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Open Sans, Quicksand, and Montserrat are the easiest to read.
- Your font should be at least one inch (72-point) tall for every 10 feet of viewing distance.
Software Platforms
To bring your digital sign design to life, you need a design platform. There are plenty of platforms that make designing digital content as intuitive and as easy as possible, even for people with no design experience.
Canva is one of the most popular picks: this platform is user-friendly, comes with pre-made elements, and has an extensive template library full of options for social media, adverts, reporting dashboards and more. Using templates can be a great way to start your Canva digital signage project.
Some digital screen companies provide proprietary software, which massively streamlines the process. TrouDigital’s digital signage software eliminates all the stress and hassle, so you don’t have to test out a dozen digital sign design platforms. Instead, you can start creating straight away. Plan out your design, bring it to life on our platform, and upload it to your digital screen.
Colours
Digital signs are designed to be eye-catching, and using complementary colours is vital to keep your design looking great.
Here are our top colour tips for digital signage design:
- Be bright: It’s no surprise that bright colours are much more inviting than dull or muddy colours. Use bright, eye-catching colours.
- Be exclusive: Too many colours can be overwhelming, especially on an HD screen. Instead, choose a few colours that make sense for the topic and your brand.
- Use your brand colours: Incorporate your brand colours to create a cohesive and professional customer experience.
Consistency
If there’s one digital signage best practice to prioritise, it’s this: consistency is essential, especially in your marketing materials.
The simplest way to maintain consistency is by creating a set of templates tailored for different purposes. For example, you could develop standardised templates for social media posts, posters, and announcements.
By standardising your content, you can create professional designs and reinforce your brand guidelines. That way, anyone on your team can log onto your design platform and create new content.
Test your digital signage content
Sometimes, the most straightforward tip is the best. Before you upload digital content, make sure to test it. After all, there’s little point in spending hours on a digital sign design just for it not to look as you envisioned.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Are the colours inviting?
- Does the ratio look right?
- Is the font readable?
- Is the image sharp?
- Is my branding consistent?
TrouDigital: An All-in-One Digital Signage Design Solution
Once you’ve got all the tools, you can put our digital signage best practices to the test and create eye-catching content for your target audience. But before you can get to the design, you need the tools.
It can be difficult to find digital hardware, software, and platforms that work together. Thankfully, we’re here to help.
At TrouDigital, we provide all-in-one digital signage solutions. We take into account your unique business needs and recommend digital software and hardware that suits you.
Your digital signs will be up and running in no time, communicating key ideas to customers, employees, and visitors alike. Contact us today to hear more.
